Power semiconductor devices are units made up of power semiconductors that may differ from one another.
By way of example, mention may be made of thyristors as power semiconductor elements and of freewheel diodes as diodes.
Such power semiconductor elements are cooled by means of cooling devices that dissipate heat by means of a flow of a cooling liquid.
Each power semiconductor element is sandwiched between two holding elements, one or both of the holding elements possibly being cooling devices.
The set of power semiconductor elements and of holding elements constitutes a single device comprising a stack of thyristors and freewheel diodes.
Such a device comprising a stack of thyristors and freewheel diodes can also be referred to as a pile.
The power semiconductor elements must be protected electrically by means of a protection circuit, i.e. by capacitors.
The various electrical connections between the power semiconductor elements and the protection circuit are made via the cooling devices, or where not available, via holding means that do not include a cooling device.
In such a structure, the holding means provide electrical continuity between two power semiconductor elements or between a power semiconductor element and a protection circuit.
In the state of the art, the sets of holding elements and of power semiconductor elements, i.e. the devices comprising stacks of thyristors and freewheel diodes, require electrical connections to be fitted.
Sets of power semiconductor elements and of holding elements may differ in the particular electrical circuit on which they are based.
The electrical power supply connections +HT and -HT, and the output PM of a device comprising a stack of gate turnoff thyristors GTO and of freewheel diodes DRL, and electrical connections Cs, Cc between the diodes Ds, Dc and the protection circuit thus differ from one electrical circuit to another.